So last night we, like many Aussies, watched as the current
Prime Minister and Opposition Leader ‘debated’ as is customary in the lead up
to an election. They tried to outdo each other in a verbal dance around
anything that is really important to our country and neither really inspired me
to put a big tick inside the box next to their name.
While there are several topics in these debates that I’m actually interested in watching the pollies get tongue tied over, the big one I was keen for some eloquence on was marriage equality. When PM Kevin Rudd was last in the top job (before Julia Gillard knocked him off his perch and he then sauntered along and did the same in return) he was not keen on ‘gay marriage’.
Conveniently, while off the proverbial perch, he had an epiphany that gays aren’t that bad and should be allowed to have a ceremony and legal documentation akin to that of he and his wife.* Good. Thanks. Glad you’ve come around.
So last night when asked about this, he explained his changed position and the white computerized line on the bottom of the television screen (known as the ‘worm’) crept slowly upward. ‘Mark of decency’ was a phrase he used. He also said he would allow a conscience vote on the issue within his first 100 days in office. Snaps for Kevin.
When Opposition Leader, and full nincompoop, Tony Abbott was asked the same question, he essentially said he has a gay sister (which he’s made sure we know already) and then looked her, and each and every other gay audience member and home viewer, in the eye and said ‘equal rights, lol, you can’t have them.’
His closing remarks then mentioned something vague about making all Australians happy (I really don’t know what he said, I feel ill when he opens his mouth), but at this point I opened MY mouth and made some snide remark which ended in “…but he won’t let us get married.”
Everything heard on TV and in the lounge room had gone over the head of my 3 year old until then. She turned her head straight away and said “Why won’t he let us get married Mama?” and while my heart broke and I wished I could shove those simple words back into my mouth, I had to think of a suitable answer.
Cue Lazy Town.
Just a typical children’s television show with a good guy and a villain – Sporticus and Robbie Rotten (bet you can’t guess who is who). So I tried to word a jolly tale about how Kevin Rudd was Sporticus and Tony Abbott was Robbie Rotten and that Robbie wanted to be the boss of who can get married. We had a good laugh and she ended the conversation with a loud declaration that “Robbie Rotten is mean”. Yes. Yes he is.
And, just like that, I got away with it.
I got away with not having to give a full explanation that our beautiful family bothers some people and that we don’t have the same options, rights or assurances most other families do. She knows our family looks a little different to the ones on television and in many of her books. She knows that most of her friends have a Daddy and, thus far, she has been perfectly fine knowing this information. I just hope desperately that Australia, and whichever bumbling middle-aged man takes the seat, has its act together before she finds out the other implications of our ‘difference’.
________________________________
While there are several topics in these debates that I’m actually interested in watching the pollies get tongue tied over, the big one I was keen for some eloquence on was marriage equality. When PM Kevin Rudd was last in the top job (before Julia Gillard knocked him off his perch and he then sauntered along and did the same in return) he was not keen on ‘gay marriage’.
Conveniently, while off the proverbial perch, he had an epiphany that gays aren’t that bad and should be allowed to have a ceremony and legal documentation akin to that of he and his wife.* Good. Thanks. Glad you’ve come around.
So last night when asked about this, he explained his changed position and the white computerized line on the bottom of the television screen (known as the ‘worm’) crept slowly upward. ‘Mark of decency’ was a phrase he used. He also said he would allow a conscience vote on the issue within his first 100 days in office. Snaps for Kevin.
When Opposition Leader, and full nincompoop, Tony Abbott was asked the same question, he essentially said he has a gay sister (which he’s made sure we know already) and then looked her, and each and every other gay audience member and home viewer, in the eye and said ‘equal rights, lol, you can’t have them.’
His closing remarks then mentioned something vague about making all Australians happy (I really don’t know what he said, I feel ill when he opens his mouth), but at this point I opened MY mouth and made some snide remark which ended in “…but he won’t let us get married.”
Everything heard on TV and in the lounge room had gone over the head of my 3 year old until then. She turned her head straight away and said “Why won’t he let us get married Mama?” and while my heart broke and I wished I could shove those simple words back into my mouth, I had to think of a suitable answer.
Cue Lazy Town.
Just a typical children’s television show with a good guy and a villain – Sporticus and Robbie Rotten (bet you can’t guess who is who). So I tried to word a jolly tale about how Kevin Rudd was Sporticus and Tony Abbott was Robbie Rotten and that Robbie wanted to be the boss of who can get married. We had a good laugh and she ended the conversation with a loud declaration that “Robbie Rotten is mean”. Yes. Yes he is.
And, just like that, I got away with it.
I got away with not having to give a full explanation that our beautiful family bothers some people and that we don’t have the same options, rights or assurances most other families do. She knows our family looks a little different to the ones on television and in many of her books. She knows that most of her friends have a Daddy and, thus far, she has been perfectly fine knowing this information. I just hope desperately that Australia, and whichever bumbling middle-aged man takes the seat, has its act together before she finds out the other implications of our ‘difference’.
________________________________
*I’m not fully confident that PM Kevin Rudd
understands what the word ‘gay’ means as
he was once asked in a humorous TV interview “Who would you turn gay for?” and
he answered rather quickly with “My wife.” Hmmm.
I normally enjoy reading your blog with a smile or a sense of nostalgia for my own experiences, but this one just made me sick. The implications that our families, our children, our lives are somehow less. I think we, as adults, have learned to accept that there are people who think those things and we have built our lives without giving much value to their ultimately wrong and hurtful opinion. But when those lies and ugly words come after children, that's when it hurts the most. How do you disseminate the truth of your wonderful lives without giving room for such hateful words?
ReplyDeleteGreat piece. I hope Australia does better than the United States on this issue.
Kell